Iran War: Winston Peters says Donald Trump can end the war when he wants
Thursday, 12 March 2026
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the war in Iran will be over soon and that it will be up to US President Donald Trump to end it.
But analysts and other MPs are far more sceptical that now the war has begun it will be so easily wrapped up.
New Zealand has about a month of fuel supplies in-country and another month on the way in the water.
If the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed by Iran new fuel is going to be harder to find, as about a fifth of global supply currently travels through the strait.
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Trump himself has said the war will be over soon and says he can end it himself.
“Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump told Axios.
Peters told media on Wednesday that he agreed with Trump.
“It won’t be very long before it’ll be over. It won’t be months, for example,” Peters said.
Asked if it was in Trump’s control, Peters said yes.
“Because obviously the reality of war is sooner or later you run out of defensive utilities and you’re stuffed,” Peters said.
But University of Otago International Relations Professor Robert Patman said it was not at all clear that this was something the US could simply walk away from.
“The idea that America can simply begin a war and then determine when it ends is simplistic.
“I think Iran is determined to extract a considerable price um for what is, after all, an illegal attacks on a sovereign state by both the United States and Israel.”
He noted the new Iranian leadership had already said publicly that while it had not started the war “they will determine the timing of its ending”.
Patman said the fact that Iran had been attacked by the US twice in the middle of negotiations would impact the regime’s willingness to “go along with a universal ceasefire declared by Mr Trump”.
He also noted the Iranian Government and military was very decentralised.
Victoria University international relations professor David Capie said others got a vote in when to end the war.
“Washington can say it has met its objectives and pack up and go home, but Iran also gets a vote, as does Israel,” Capie said.
“Given the sheer number of targets that have already been struck, it’s likely we will see reduced military action in the next few weeks. But given there’s no sign of regime change, Iran can look to impose costs in other ways, and it will work to rebuild some of its capabilities.“
Other analysts around the world have made similar points.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who is leading the Government’s ministerial group for economic security during the war, said she was being careful to not make any assumptions about when the war would end. They were planning for a range of scenarios.
“There are scenarios in which it lasts for weeks. There are also scenarios in which it lasts for months.”
Asked if the US could end the war unilaterally, Willis was not so sure.
“The United States are not the only actor in this war. There are others whose choices and decisions will impact its duration. I'd really like it to be over sooner rather than later.”
Defence Minister Judith Collins would not be drawn on her view, but said she was hoping the war would be over soon.
Labour’s new foreign affairs spokesperson Vanushi Walters said while Labour had condemned the regime, military escalation was “not the answer”.
“It is ultimately up to the parties involved to de-escalate, but what we do know is that the impacts will be felt for a long time, both for people in the region and for the wider global community.”
A written question to Walters asking if she thought the war would be over “soon” was not directly addressed.